閱讀與表達練習

（一）

根據短文內容回答短文后的問題。

The word silk itself is beautiful. The story of silk started in China over 4，000 years ago. One story says a silkworm’s cocoon （繭） fell into a woman’s teacup. It then opened into a single， unbroken thread （線）. This was an important discovery. The Chinese learned they could use the cocoons to make cloth that was both beautiful to look at and soft to touch.

Making silk was a protected secret in China for many years. In other countries， silk was very valuable. Often it was worth more than gold. It was said that the secret was finally given away when a queen left China for India. In her hair， she secretly carried many silkworms.

By the year 1 C.E.， silk was sold as far west as Rome， and all along the Silk Road. Finally， around the year 300， silk also travelled from China to Japan. In 1522， the Spanish brought silkworms to Mexico.

Today people around the world still make many beautiful things from silk. But silk isn’t only beautiful. It looks easy to break， but actually it’s very strong. For example， people have already used it to make bicycle wheels. And some doctors even use silk threads in hospital. Silk is also lightweight and warm. This makes it great for clothes like winter jackets， trousers and shoes.

All of this is from a little silkworm. That is the magic of silk.

1. How long has the story of silk been told in China？

2. Which country did the queen leave for？

3. What did the Spanish bring to Mexico in 1522？

4. Can people use silk to make bicycle wheels？

5. Why is silk great for clothes like winter jackets， trousers and shoes？

[Keys：1. Over 4000 years. 2. India. 3. Silkworms. 4. Yes. 5. Because silk is lightweight and warm.]

（二）

根據短文內容回答短文后的問題。

Tea， coffee and cocoa are three major drinks all over the world. Tea is drunk by the largest number of people in the world. Tea， as well as silk and porcelain， began to be known by the world over a thousand years ago and has been an important Chinese export since then.

Tea has a history of over 4，000 years and China is the home of tea. In ancient China， tea was used as a kind of medicine， while nowadays people drink tea daily.

Longjing， Pu’er， Wulong and Tieguanyin are all famous tea. Thanks to the mild climate and rich soil in Fujian， Zhejiang and Yunnan， tea is produced mainly in these provinces.

The word for tea in different languages came from Chinese， like “cha’i” in Russian. And the Japanese character for tea is written exactly the same as it is in Chinese.

Over the past centuries， Chinese people have developed their unique（獨特的）tea culture， which includes tea planting， tea?leaf picking， tea making， tea drinking and so on. Tea is also popular in some sayings， like “A friendship between gentlemen is like a cup of tea.”In dances， songs， poems and novels， tea is often mentioned， too.

1. How many drinks are mentioned in this passage？

2. Why is tea produced mainly in Fujian， Zhejiang and Yunnan？

3. What does the underlined sentence “A friendship between gentlemen is like a cup of tea ” mean in Chinese？

4. In ancient China， people used tea as a kind of medicine， didn’t they？

5. What is the best title for the passage？

[Keys：1. Three. 2. Because the climate is mild and the soil is rich there. 3. 君子之交淡如水。 4. Yes， they did. 5. China’s Tea Culture.]